Sustainability at TEDxAdelaide 2016

Beyond ideas worth sharing, this year we at TEDxAdelaide are intent on making a positive impact not only on the minds of our attendees but also on our planet! We’re also being much smarter with our approach to waste and recycling, with the goal of one day being a zero-waste event! As part of TEDxAdelaide’s sustainability mission we have been fortunate enough to combine forces with OzHarvest and Jeffries Composting.

You will see we have provided a water station so you can keep topping up your water bottles and we have used 100% recycled post-consumer paper for lanyard tags and programs.

The event venue, the Adelaide Town Hall, is already an impressively efficient heritage building, with energy savings resulting in 32% less carbon emissions, and a saving of more than $60,000 in annual costs compared to 2011/12.

The creation of waste is something we have some control over and with the help of Adelaide City Council we are ensuring any food scraps can accompany our specially sourced compostable coffee cups in green organics waste bins. Now, instead of going to waste (and landfill), this will be recycled by the Jeffries Group into quality compost, soil and mulch products for South Aussie gardens, vineyards and food producers.

If any of our delicious, locally inspired food is left that is still good for human consumption, then it will be collected by our partner OzHarvest, Australia’s first perishable food rescue organisation that ensures food left over goes to those who need it most. Every tonne of food diverted from landfill avoids 1.6 tonnes of greenhouse emissions and last year almost 500,000 kilos of food was rescued in Adelaide alone!

We will let you know if we determine our carbon footprint for this event (Adelaide City Council is going to help us) and we’d love any suggestions you have for future events.

Fun facts from last years annual OzHarvest report (1 July 2014 – 30 June 2015):

11, 006, 820 meals delivered nationally

3,668,940 kilos of food reduced nationally

5,870 of carbon emissions saved

808 recipient charities

115 recipient charities in Adelaide, 280 food donors in Adelaide

498,777 kilos of food rescued

Footprint facts since OzHarvest Began (November 2004 – 30 June 2015)

Close to 2 billion litres of water (1,811,966,156L) has been saved as a result of OzHarvest food rescue

20,273 tonnes of carbon emissions have been saved from diverting food waste

OzHarvest has taken the equivalent of 3,898 cars off the road in carbon emissions savings from diverting food waste

What does OzHarvest Do?

OzHarvest is the first perishable food rescue organisation in Australia that collects quality excess food from more than 2,000 commercial outlets and delivers it, direct and free of charge, to more than 800 charities.

We provide much needed assistance to vulnerable men, women and children across Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Newcastle and Perth as well as regional areas through our regional food rescue program, REAP.

Engage
Embracing community support for OzHarvest lies at the heart of our purpose. We offer a range of opportunities for the community to engage with our family. In turn, the goodness spreads through our family, adding purpose to peoples’ lives through meaningful action.

Innovate
Innovation is at the heart of what we do. Whether its finding new ways and solutions to combat food waste and hunger, to using technology to mobilise everyday Australians to take meaningful action. We pride ourselves on having created a unique for-impact, food rescue model which is being implemented and adapted across the globe.